The present application relates to semiconductors, and more specifically, to techniques for forming semiconductor structures. Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) is a non-volatile computer memory (NVRAM) technology. In some conventional random access memory (RAM) devices, data is stored as electric charge or current flows. MRAM, in contrast, stores data using magnetic storage elements. Such elements may be formed using two ferromagnetic plates separated by a thin insulating later. One plate is a permanent magnet set to a particular polarity, with the other plate having a field that can be changed to match that of an external field to store data. This configuration is known as a spin valve and forms the structure for an MRAM bit or cell. An MRAM device may contain a grid of such structures or cells.